Ex-Staffers Claim Abuse as Amy Klobuchar Readies Presidential Bid Announcement

Three people are claiming that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is an abusive boss, allegations that are surfacing just days ahead of the lawmaker’s expected announcement on Sunday that she is throwing her hat into the presidential ring.

Those three staffers withdrew from consideration for leading a potential Klobuchar presidential campaign “in part because of the Minnesota Democrat’s history of mistreating her staff, HuffPost has learned.”

The Huffington Post reported: 

She’s beloved in her state as a smart, funny and personable lawmaker and has gained national attention for her lines of questioning at high-profile hearings.

But some former Klobuchar staffers, all of whom spoke to HuffPost on condition of anonymity, describe Klobuchar as habitually demeaning and prone to bursts of cruelty that make it difficult to work in her office for long.

Klobuchar’s critics said she often criticized their work in emails, sometimes in group emails to publicly shame them.

But a spokesman for Klobuchar pushed back on the abuse claims, telling the Huffington Post:

Senator Klobuchar loves her staff ― they are the reason she has gotten to where she is today. She has many staff who have been with her for years ― including her Chief of Staff and her State Director, who have worked for her for 5 and 7 years respectively ― and many who have gone on to do amazing things, from working in the Obama Administration (over 20 of them) to running for office to even serving as the Agriculture Commissioner for Minnesota. She is proud of them and the work they have done for Minnesota.

In its story, the Huffington Post reported some staff liked the “challenge” of working with Klobuchar and “question whether former co-workers who thought she was abusive were falling for sexist stereotypes about female leaders with high standards.”

“Reached for comment, Klobuchar’s office referred HuffPost to multiple ex-staffers who shared glowing statements about working for her.”

Nonetheless, her Senate office has “one of the highest rates of staff turnover, according to the LegiStorm database, which showed “Klobuchar’s rate of turnover ranked No. 1 in an analysis of all Senate staff salaries between 2001 and 2016.”

Currently, she is third on the list, behind Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and John Kennedy (R-LA).

The Huffington Post also implied in its story that Klobuchar could be violating Senate ethics rules by asking staff to do personal favors such as cleaning or shopping.

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